TREE PORCUPINE CONTROL

      This article is about PORCUPINE control. 
It will explain why they are a pest and what 
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   The following article will explain some basic
biology of the tree porcupine and then offer
control methods that can be used if you have one
on or around your property causing damage.
   The tree porcupine is one of the largest
rodents in North America. They are distributed
throughout Canada and much of America. Some
southeastern and southwestern states don't have
any at this time, but the rest of the country
share the same species. 
   The tree porcupine is heavy, growing to be
10-20 lbs or even bigger depending on diet.
Their entire body is covered with quills which
can number over 20,000. Only the face, under
body and under the tail don't have any. Although
the quills can dislodge easily, porcupines cannot
"throw" quills at will. They generally take a 
defensive stand daring predators to bite knowing
their quills will protect them. In some cases,
they may lunge, but porcupines are not swift nor
do they pretend to be. If you get too close, they
may slap their tail, but in general will leave
you alone unless antagonized. Their quills are
a problem for animals which are stuck and don't
receive medical attention. Such areas will get
infected quickly and such infections will lead
to many types of disease. In the wild, many animals
which receive quills in their mouth are unable
to eat and will eventually starve. Dogs which
try to bite will find out porcupines aren't
good eating, but only a few seem to learn from
their experience. Most which get a mouthful
don't seem to learn. It's not unusual to see
them back at the vet's some time in the future.
   Porcupines have one litter in the spring.
They almost always have one young and twins are
very rare. Their gestation is long for a rodent,
about seven months. Young porcupines can walk
almost immediately and will climb trees within
two days. At ten days, most are on their own.
By their second year, they are able to reproduce.
   Although porcupines are great tree climbers
and can live on several species of trees, they
seem to prefer, white, ponderosa, pinion, hemlock,
spruce, elm and poplar. When living in the woods

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO OF TREE DAMAGE

and feeding on wild trees, porcupines go mainly
unnoticed. Since they do most of their feeding
at night, many people aren't even aware of how
many may be living around their homes. However,
this is rapidly changing. As more and more homes
are being built in wild areas with strong populations
of animals including porcupine, conflict between
them and man is inevitable. If you are finding
damage on your property, you will need to act
fast. And if the damage is happening to a tree,
remember that it doesn't take long for most
any tree to become stressed and vulnerable. If
you have a stand of trees you are particularly
fond of and want to make sure they are OK, use
some STRESS GLASSES to monitor their status. These
unique eye glasses enable you to "see" plant life
like trees, turf and or shrubs that are under
stress. They can really help you locate, treat
and save trees which are under attack.
   Porcupine damage to homes, structures and garden
areas is increasing. Porcupines have a taste for
salt, succulent plants, fruits, vegetables, tool
handles, wooden wheel barrow handles, boat oars,
porch furniture, toilet seats, saddles, tires or
anything else which may have had salt on them.
Wooden tool handles absorb salt from sweat which
is certain to attract feeding porcupines. Any
automobile which travels on salted roads in the
winter will be absorbing a lot of this mineral
which will lure porcupines to feed on the tasty
tread. Saddles used by equestrians are certain
to be eaten if left within range. T-111 wood siding,
plywood and pressboard all use a laminate glue
which porcupines love!  They will eat it till
nothing is left. As much as you replace, they
will consume. Tree houses, hunting stands, out
houses, sheds, barns, wood shops: If it's made
of wood they will eat it!!! 
   Because porcupines eat primarily wood, most
people are unaware how much they like succulent
plants. Porcupines love rose bushes, pansies,
lily pads, all types of berries, corn, and 
several other garden favorites. Rabbits and
deer are often blamed for this damage when
many times it is being done by porcupines. Since
they are mostly nocturnal, they are able to
go about their business undetected. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO OF FRASS FROM FEEDING

   Porcupine control is done in one of two ways.
Once you find activity, it is important to stop
it early. Porcupines will travel several miles
for a meal, but once they find a good place to
feed, they will eat everything available before
they move on. Because of this nature, you must
nip it in the bud. This can be done by either
removing the item they want to feed on or by 
making it taste terrible so they simply leave
it alone. Tools, yard furniture and small
wooden objects can usually be removed so porcupines
will not have access to them. Sides of buildings,
sheds, large wooden furniture and other such
objects are not easy to move and so they need
to be treated with ROPEL. This liquid repellent
has no smell. It simply tastes terrible. Just
spray some on the surface of anything the porcupine
wants to eat and it will immediately stop. Ropel
lasts around 2 weeks to a month per application and
will withstand rain. Generally, one application
will force the porcupine to find some other food
supply so that it will leave you alone. Ropel
can be sprayed on plants without hurting it or
the produce. However, don't spray the part you
want to eat as the taste will surely ruin the best
harvest!  You may spray plants early in the 
growing season as Ropel will wear off in about
4 weeks. Allow this much time for "days to harvest".
Ropel works best when applied early. If you have 
been attacked by porcupines for several months or 
over a period of years, you may have to resort to 
trapping them to gain control of the problem.
   Another liquid repellent which works great
at keeping them away is LIQUID BIRD REPELLENT.
This is a material which was created for keeping
flocks of nuisance birds like pigeons or starlings
from roosting in trees. It can be painted or
sprayed on trees creating a surface which is
both very sticky and irritating. This surface
will last several months and keep any targeted
animal from wanting to walk where it is
applied. For porcupines, there are two places
you can apply it. First, use it on any tree
you want to keep from being eaten. Simply
treat the trunk from the ground up 6 feet.
Be sure to go all the way around the tree.
The following evening when the feeding
porcupine arrives it will quickly find the
tree to be something it won't be able to
climb. The animal will have to travel else
where for food and soon forget your tree
even exists. You can also apply this liquid
around foundations, posts or siding where
they have been climbing to access wood on
your home. Again, once they will quickly
learn they can't take the treatment and
will move on to find food elsewhere. You
can paint the treatment over surfaces you
want to protect but it will probably be
easier to spray it on with one of our SPRAYERS.
There is no need to make the product overly
thick and the most important thing to accomplish
is a uniform application. Check it at least
every couple of days for the first week
following the treatment to make sure it is
holding up well and generally after a week
of being in place any feeding porcupines will
move on. However, if you have too many access
points and too many food choices, repellents
may not be an option. If the use of repellents
will not be productive, you will have no choice
but to do some trapping.
   Live trapping porcupines is easy. All you
need to do is establish where they are active.
Once you find damage on your building, garden or
other areas in your yard, set the trap where
they are feeding. Use a LT111230 for small animals
and if you only intend to catch porcupine. If
you have other animals you intend to catch,
the commercial NH2361 will prove to be the
better investment. Use apples covered with
salt for a quick catch. Cut the apple up into
8 pieces and then place 2 outside the trap,
2 pieces just inside and then the other 4 pieces
behind the trip pan. Be sure to use a lot of
salt over the freshly cut apples. The moisture
of the apple will keep the salt attached to the
fruit. When your nuisance porcupine comes around
for their daily meal, they won't be able to
resist this tasty treat. If you intend on 
relocating the animal, you will need to take it
at least 20 miles away. Porcupines are used
to traveling many miles in search of food and
their homing skills are quite good. If you
suspect a recently trapped animal has returned,
you will be able to catch it again. This time
take it 30 miles away to insure it won't return!
   Porcupines are best known for their quills.
However, their wood eating habits are getting
them a bad reputation. If you have a nuisance
porcupine chewing up your tires, furniture or
tools, try Ropel to stop them. If this doesn't
work, live trap them. Once relocated far enough
away, they won't be able to eat their way into
your home.
    If you have any questions about porcupines or 
any other pest control problem, please give us a call. 
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